Summer Melody

Chapter 5 - Bonnie

Whatever happened to sleeping in on weekends? Bonnie thought as she dropped Davey off at baseball practice. Saturdays and Sundays used to be so glorious, so lazy. She would daydream at work while alphabetizing files, about the key moment when the weekend began: the shutting off of the alarm clock on Friday night. The kids would wake up in the morning and plop in front of the television for marathons of Bugs Bunny and Scooby Doo, broken up by commercials like exclamation points for the latest obnoxious loud electronic toy or sugared-up cereal. Bonnie would have much of the morning to lie in bed, listening to NPR or reading one of her mysteries. Then she and the kids, and occasionally Meg, would take the afternoon and do something fun, something together, like a movie or bowling.

These days, Bonnie needed a color-coded diary just to keep everyone's activities straight. Today, for example, Jane had a swimming lesson, and Davey had practice and then was going for pizza with some of his teammates, so he wouldn't be back until mid-afternoon. Bonnie had to run out to the nursing home for a quick visit with her mother, then be back in time to complete the grocery shopping before picking Davey up. She wasn't too worried about Jane being home alone – she seemed to prefer it that way most days.

Before pulling out of the parking lot by the baseball field, she observed Davey for a minute. He and some friends were Indian wrestling, although it looked like they were laughing too hard to be very effective as they pushed, arms wrapped around one another's waists. Watching Davey, Bonnie was struck by the sudden rush of a mother's love, as potent as a narcotic. She used to wonder when Jane and Davey were babies if this feeling might be a little unhealthy, it was that strong. Certainly, her own mother could never have experienced this maternal rush.

At the nursing home, Bonnie walked down the hall, self-conscious about the squeak of her soft-soled shoes on the floor. She cradled a loaf of banana bread in her arms. Her mother was not in her room; she must be in the residents' lounge. Bonnie ambled past "apartments," really nothing more than glorified dorm rooms, with plastic flowers in sconces next to each door. From a distance, it looked like a nice touch, but when you got close, you could see the artifice of the blooms and the thin layer of dust matting the petals. As she neared the lounge, she saw Elizabeth in a rocking chair sitting companionably with another elderly woman. Bonnie didn't remember seeing her before.

She pulled up a chair. The old ladies stopped their conversation and stared at her as if she had just alit from another planet. Then Elizabeth leaned in close to the other woman, whispering something in her ear, casting a sidelong glance at Bonnie. They tittered and turned their chairs one hundred eighty degrees, so that they had their backs to her.

Bonnie shook her head in wonder. We have now reached the parallel universe where my mother and I are in high school together, and her clique is snubbing me. If I'm not careful, it won't be long before she Krazy Glues my locker shut.

While Elizabeth was behaving like an adolescent, Bonnie took in the goings-on of the lounge. A few residents were clustered around the big-screen television, staring hypnotically at the screen. While researching nursing homes, Bonnie had appreciated the fact that here, the television, while perpetually broadcasting CNN, was never blaring. The volume was kept low enough that you could hear yourself think. Several men were huddled over a checkers game, three men providing back-seat strategizing. It never failed to amaze Bonnie that while most of these people could not remember the names of their wives or children, they all seemed to be able to recall the rules of checkers and card games with precision.

She decided to try again, since Elizabeth had probably already forgotten the snub. She stood and walked a half-circle over to her mother and her new friend. "Good afternoon, ladies."

Elizabeth looked up and smiled with genuine pleasure. "Why, hello! Please join us!" She motioned to a chair. Bonnie pulled it up to the women and sat.